Faced with an increasingly difficult challenge in growing both average revenue per user (ARPU) and numbers of subscribers, network carriers are trying to develop a host of new products, services, and business models based on data services. While a lot of advances have been made in the Value Added Services (VAS), much integration with existing systems still is needed in order to fully capitalize on existing technologies.
For example, wireless and other types of technology have become ubiquitous in today's daily life. These wireless technologies include cellular telephones, the Internet, wireless Internet access (WiFi), GPS and RFID technologies, to name a few. These technologies are used over a broad range of applications, including personal usage to consumer transactions, to entertainment to business to business applications. As such, these technologies have evolved over the years to become increasingly more important to business transactions, including retail transactions, etc.
For example, RFID technology is used to track merchandise throughout the supply chain, including the purchasing of merchandise by the consumer. GPS, on the other hand, is used for personal usage to find retail outlets, residential locations, etc. Likewise, WiFi is used to access the Internet from many different locations, for many different types of usages, including personal and business usage. This technology allows a user to conduct business regardless of their whereabouts, with the caveat that they are near a WiFi hub.
Many technologies have evolved in such a way that the combination of the technologies have provided a synergistic effect. This, as such, has increased the effectiveness and workability of the technology to such an extent that they play a critical role in business. As an illustrative example, the combination of the Internet and WiFi has made the Internet that much more accessible to a user, regardless of their location. This allows the user to conduct business transactions more efficiently, such as track inventory, purchase items and maintain contact with an array of business associates and colleagues.
However, there is a need to increase the synergistic effects of different technologies. By doing so, it would be possible to increase the ability and efficiency to transfer content, track inventories, provide content to user, etc. These synergistic effects can take the form of VAS, which can attract subscribers and thus increase revenue.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies described hereinabove.